Assessing the five likeliest North Stars first-round playoff opponents

If the SJHL regular season were to end today, the North Stars would face off against the Melville Millionaires with home ice advantage. In the four matchups between the two teams this season, the Millionaires have had the advantage with a 3-0-1-0 record, though it hasn’t been a dominant season series.

All four of the games have been decided by two or less goals, with two of the games going to overtime. North Stars head coach Connor Logan said with the season series not going his way with some good games, he would be “really excited” to play the Millionaires.

“They’ve taken a couple of those games from us. I think for me, there would be a fire and a spark in terms of how good we’ve played and not getting the results. I think that’s bugged me quite a bit in my though process,” said Logan.

“They pulled one out at home here off a couple of broken plays and I thought we played good in that game. When we were in Melville in lost in overtime, I thought we played decent hockey then and then again came up short in their barn after I think playing for the most part a good game.”

Logan described the Millionaires as a very good, hard nose defensive team whose style has worked for them.

“We have quite a bit of offence and really have a lot of guys that can generate. For them, they play a really tight, smothering type of D-zone. So, I think it’d be pretty great to watch that go and see who can get the better of who in that series,” he said.

Estevan Bruins

Although the North Stars fell in their last matchup with the Bruins, they have fared well against Estevan throughout the season with a 3-1-0-0 record. It was a high scoring season series between the two teams, with the North Stars outscoring the Bruins 23-16 in four matchups.

“I think it would really come down to how well each team is defending. I like the way we defend. I know there’s a lot made of our style and all of that, but I think in more recent memory, our team’s been real right defensively. So, I think that would be kind of the dictating factor in the series,” said Logan. “It would be less the offence and more the defence and the details.”

While the Bruins have higher top end talent with Ewan Rennie, who leads the league in points with 70 points (35G-35A) and Rylan Williams who is in third with 60 (23G-37A), the North Stars have an advantage in their depth with 14 players scoring 20 points or more this season, while the Bruins have just seven.

Melfort Mustangs

The Mustangs are sitting in sixth place in the SJHL at the moment and like the Millionaires, have a positive record against the North Stars this year, going 3-1-0-0 this season against the Battlefords. Although Logan said that you head into the playoffs factoring how previous matchups went, but with a clean slate mentality.

“With any matchup, I think you’re going to assess obviously your season series in the way that you’ve played against them. Then you’re going to look at some more recent tendencies,” Logan said. “I think (there is) a stylistic clash between the two teams. I think they run a pretty tight defensive type of system, and they play a heavier type of game. We like to use the open ice and make plays and play a lot more dynamic.”

With how tight the Mustangs play, Logan said that they would like to play a more possession-based game and use their physicality and depth in a potential matchup.

“Use our tools, try and use our entire lineup, and just kind of be in attack mode,” he said.

Kindersley Klippers

At the moment, the Klippers are on the outside looking in. It’s no secret the North Stars and Klippers have had a longstanding heated rivalry. If they can make it in and line up with the North Stars in the playoffs, it would be a series that fans highly anticipate.

“That would be, for lack of a better term, a bloodbath. These two teams would certainly lack any motive to raise the stakes and take things past the whistles. That’s how it’s been all year long when you play them,” said Logan.

The North Stars will play the final two games of the regular season against the Klippers, and currently have a 5-1-0-0 record against their rivals, although Logan knows not to underestimate them should they meet for a seven-game series.

“All the games we’ve played have been tight, one or two goal games for the most part. They’re a good team, they’re a fast team, they want to play with the puck, and they want to play physical and so do we. I think there (are) some similarities in the two teams, but I think it’d be an execution thing,” he said.

“It’d be coming up with the bigger opportunities and a little bit more of the (defensive) stuff too as well because I think both teams have not lacked it, but I feel like when you play Kindersley, and they would feel the same against us. There’s a lot of chances, both teams are generating a ton, so it’d be an electric series for sure”

Humboldt Broncos

Like the Klippers, the North Stars have two more contests against the Broncos and a 5-1-0-0 record when facing their Nutrien Division rival. While the Broncos did trade away some good players to get younger, Logan knows they still have a solid team if they can go on a run near the end of the season and get into the playoffs.

“For sure they’ve made some moves and went a little bit younger, but they’re still a great team. Still have some good players,” Logan said. “Another fast matchup that’s north-south, quick and puck possession game… another intense matchup similar to Kindersley if it was to go that way and be a Nutrien matchup. So, we would be very familiar with that team.”

While these aren’t the only teams the North Stars could possibly play, that’s who they could line up against if they finish in the top three seeds in the league. While you could speculate who they will play, the team can only focus on themselves and remain focused as they head towards the playoffs.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com

by Ryan Lambert

Assessing the five likeliest North Stars first-round playoff opponents

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